Hafez Al-Assad

Bashar's uncle was a key figure in the Assad regime who oversaw the bloodiest massacre committed by an Arab state against its own people in history, earning him the title 'the Butcher of Hama'

Classified documents from the 1970s obtained by Al Majalla show what led to the killing of the Lebanese Druze politician and how Syria came to occupy Lebanon

The Druze leader, whose forces were winning Lebanon's civil war, disagreed with Syria's president over it. Now, Al Majalla publishes a letter he sent to Assad, aiming to put them on the same page.

An investigative report by Al Majalla details the manner and extent to which the former Syrian regime used legislation to seized citizens' property across the country

In Part 1 of a three-part series, Al Majalla presents exclusive excerpts from the memoirs of the late Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam, including how he helped replace one Assad with another.

Al Majalla lays out the long and often chaotic array of leaders, military coups, and governing systems that Syria has gone through in the past century

In its public statements, the Syrian government has long supported the Palestinian cause. In reality, the Assads sought to stymie the PLO, whose famous leader, Yasser Arafat, never trusted Damascus.

In the midst of the Watergate scandal back home, Nixon needed a distraction. After years of isolation, his trip to Damascus on 15 June 1974 paved the way for future visits by US presidents.

Personal papers of Syria's former vice-president detail Syria Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zoubi's fall from grace and his subsequent 'suicide'

Al Majalla provides exclusive insight into a fraternal rivalry between Hafez and Rifaat that ended up with Hafez remaining Syrian president.